All posts tagged Boomerang

Although Lucy Schwartz has already released two previous albums, she’s probably better known for the songs she’s placed in TV shows and movies, including “Shrek Forever After,” “Twilight: Breaking Dawn” and “Arrested Development,” which used her song “Boomerang” in the final episode of the latest season. The tune is from “Timekeeper,” Schwartz’s third album, which Speakeasy premieres today in its entirety.

The new LP has all the makings of a breakthrough record: the songs are sleek, catchy numbers that showcase Schwartz’s throaty voice on inventive pop arrangements full of piano, horns and strings. It’s different, which is exactly what Schwartz intended.

“‘Timekeeper’ is a departure from what I’ve created in the past,” Schwartz told Speakeasy. “‘Timekeeper’ is more of a world, more of a fantasy. It’s more eclectic, more dreamy, more experimental. It’s more true to who I am. My goal with this record was to create music that would evoke imagery: music that could take you places. When someone listens to ‘Timekeeper,’ I hope that they not only hear the music, but see it too.”

Reginald Hudlin has been a player in the entertainment world for over 20 years, but on Feb. 24 Hudlin will have his first shot at winning an Oscar as one of the producers for “Django Unchained.” The Quentin Tarantino-directed film starring Jamie Foxx as a renegade slave turned bounty hunter, is nominated for Best Picture, making Hudlin just the fourth African- American producer to score that honor.

Hudlin, former president of entertainment for Black Entertainment Television, is a prolific writer, director and producer for TV and film with much of his creative work touching on African-American-themed projects. He is best known for his debut film “House Party” that starred hip-hop duo Kid ‘n Play and directing such pop culture hits like “Boomerang” with Eddie Murphy and Halle Berry.

So, it was little surprise that Tarantino picked Hudlin’s brain more than a decade ago about how to make a movie about American slavery. ” Read More »

Two weeks ago, actress and singer Patti LuPone grabbed a cell phone out of the hand of an audience member who was texting during a performance of her current play, "Shows for Days." The bold move led to an outpouring of support from fans fed up with glowing screens. Ms. LuPone gives us her five rules of theater etiquette.